Scholar
by Mistress Krane
Summary: Falling into a fountain while you're studying…sucks. Being brought into the boy who knocked you into said fountain's dorm…doesn't really suck. And when the handsome, dark-haired dormmate of the boy invites you to walk, how can you say no? AU, ItaSaku


**Title: **Scholar

**Authoress: **Mistress Krane

**Summary: **Falling into a fountain while you're studying…sucks. Being brought into the boy who knocked you into said fountain's dorm…doesn't really suck. And when the handsome, dark-haired dormmate of the boy invites you to walk, how can you say no? AU, ItaSaku

**A/N: **Don't kill me, you guys! I've just gotten back from a crazy, impromptu hiatus due to my lack of access to a computer, and now, since it's summer, I've been working on this like a mad person. I think that it turned out well, and I hope that this triggers a few reviews for my trouble, along with a little inspiration. Thanks to Sariasprincy and Aria Illusine for supporting me, and of course, to all of my readers. :)

* * *

The sound of a pin dropping could be heard across the Toudai campus, much to Haruno Sakura's—the very newest specimen of freshmen foreign to the school—silent chagrin. Almost all of the population normally flooding the area was gone for semester break, including her newest girlfriends Hinata and Tenten, and she was stuck with nothing to do.

Picking up her hardbound anatomy textbook depicting complicated diagrams of the human body on the cover and deciding to study near the campus's main fountain, Sakura dusted off her already spotless jeans and walked out the front door of her dormitory. Sunlight touched her bare arms, and she smiled as she crossed the various paths.

Classroom windows cleared and various food and coffee carts seemingly abandoned, Sakura walked naught but a few meters further and reached her destination. The trickle of water echoed off of the pavement as she seated herself on the edge, legs stretched out in front of her.

Opening her textbook to the section on the nervous system, emerald eyes scanned the pages. Finding the point a decent spot to begin, she scrutinized the information carefully.

Almost immediately becoming immersed in the fascinating world of some of the body's most vital organs, she failed to notice the curious set of eyes watching her.

The sound of the running water masked his footsteps as the young man with spiky black hair approached the pinkette. His cheerful, boyish features were trained on her thoughtfully.

"Excuse Tobi, miss!" he exclaimed suddenly, positioned right in front of her. Bright obsidian eyes widened in worry when the teenager emitted a squeak of shock and, unbalanced, tipped unceremoniously into the fountain. The book that she had been studying became partially soaked from the splash, and Tobi winced. Tobi hadn't expected that; Tobi had thought that the pretty lady would have been more attentive.

Sakura sputtered, shaking out her long pink hair and wiping her eyes. Hand gripping the side, she narrowed her eyes into slits and searched for the offender. Finding nothing but a large, shady tree in her line of vision, she scowled angrily.

"Who the hell..."

Popping out from his crouched position on the ground, what looked like an out of place little boy peered at her innocently. Assuming that he really was a student at the university from the University of Tokyo shirt that he was donning, she gritted her teeth at the feeling of her anger disappearing.

Cutesiness was her kryptonite, much to her endless frustration. She breathed deeply through her nose and exhaled.

"Is the pretty lady okay? Tobi is very sorry for the scare," he apologized guiltily, offering Sakura a careful hand. She accepted it with a wary glint in her eye, unsure of the young student.

The caution was for good reason, she realized with a start, when a frantic tug pulled her—flying—out of the water, over the side, and crashing to the ground with a thud. Rolling over onto her back with a groan, Tobi's face looked down at her with a confused expression. Emerald orbs sharpened in poorly repressed fury.

"Tobi did not expect the pink-haired kouhai to be so light," Tobi commented. The righteous anger pouring from Sakura's very being was completely lost on the oblivious boy. He seemed rather bewildered and uncomprehending about the situation, fueling her drive even more. Just because he was adorable didn't mean that she wouldn't deck him straight in the jaw.

"Tobi-san, please move away," Sakura hissed between her teeth. Her body was drenched and her poor textbook was in a similar state, and she just wanted to go back to the dorm and change. Hanging around this particular guy was proving to be hazardous to her health as well as unfailingly irritating, and she needed to leave quickly. "I really need to get back to my room and get cleaned up."

A sudden light flashed across Tobi's features, and he was grinning at her. He gathered Sakura into his arms in one smooth scoop, and she lay in his hold, stunned, for a moment before beginning to pound on his surprisingly solid chest. He really had an outstanding build for his appearance, she noted- he had practically tossed her around like a rag doll! But that didn't stop her from trying.

"Let me down!" she demanded as he began to walk. "Where are you taking me?"

"Tobi wants to take Haruno-san to Tobi's dormitory so that Haruno-san can change there instead," he chirped readily, steps bouncing along rather easily. Tobi sauntered to the east side of campus, Sakura's rough blows only causing an occasional wince to his expression. Unusually adamant and unminding that his shirt was becoming wet, he finally looked down at her questioningly.

The fragrance of the school's rose garden filled their nostrils, and Sakura paused to glance at the yellow breeds (her favorites) and back up to Tobi's eyes.

"Why doesn't Haruno-san like Tobi?" Tobi asked her. No offense could be heard or read on his face, but honest question was definitely there. They were slowly passing the flowers, but Sakura kept her attention focused on the grudgingly interesting young boy. "Has Tobi really been such a bad boy?"

Sakura hesitated.

"I guess we just got off on the wrong foot." She held out her hand with difficulty, wondering how he could possibly shake it. "My name is Haruno Sakura, and I'm a freshman here at Toudai."

In another impressive show of athleticism, he cradled her in a single arm and shook her hand with glee. Excitement radiated from him like a beacon. "Tobi is Tobi's name. It is very nice to meet Haruno-san, even though Tobi had already known Haruno-san's name from aroung the school. Haruno-san is very well known, even to a third-year like Tobi."

So that was how he had known her name. She had vaguely wondered about that, but had brushed it off for relatively the same reason that he had provided for her.

Sakura's appearance as well as her outstanding grades had helped her earn a sort of status around, which had puzzled her at first because of all of the odd stares and greetings that she had received. She had succeeded in not allowing it to bother her until now.

Now, for some reason, it was beginning to bother her.

"So is it okay for Tobi to bring Haruno-san to the Akatsuki dormitory?"

Sakura smiled slightly and nodded, humoring him.

"Sure. And please, call me Sakura."

:)(:+:)(:+:)(:+:)(:+:)(:

"Kisame," called the dark-haired young man, only slightly breathless.

His blue-skinned teammate, only partially guarded by a young blonde, passed easily to him and grinned at the successfully shot three-pointer. Whoever said that Uchiha Itachi wasn't an athletic type of guy was obviously wrong, if their twenty point lead was of no indication.

"Are you guys ready to give up?" asked Hoshigaki Kisame—said blue-skinned teammate—with a cocky grin.

A two-on-two basketball skirmish had commenced almost an hour prior, and all four had shed their shirts. Deidara, the blonde, had been partnered with the redhead Sasori, while Itachi had been left with Kisame. The game had started, and the friends began their backyard match in the mild sun.

"No way. That brat Tobi will be back soon, hmm," Deidara said, irritated.

Itachi bounced the ball to him without a word, deep onyx eyes gazing around uninterestedly. The Uchiha's impassive attitude had always irked him, but only to a certain extent. Most of the time he was bearable enough to be around.

"I would actually like a glass of orange juice right about now," Sasori said, wiping the sweat from his brow.

He picked up his shirt and looked at Deidara's indignant expression evenly. To be honest, he felt like lying on the couch and reading his advanced woodshop book. With his OJ, of course.

"Deidara, I believe that you have a history textbook to read over semester break. Hatake-sama was painfully clear about your poor academic scores."

Deidara paled and, making a sour face, picked up his shirt as well.

"Fine, Sasori-dono. Maybe that'll finally get the guy off of my back, yeah," he sighed, slinging the fabric over his shoulder. "You coming Kisame? Itachi?"

Both nodded, not up to playing one another. Collecting their things, the four began their walk around the perimeter of the building and toward the front door of their dormitory. Sasori opened the door as cool air hit their bare skin, and they all made their way toward the main room.

A large plasma screen with the most recent game system hooked up to it sat on the wall with a trio of silver-seaters set up before it. A cherrywood coffee table sat in the middle, old research papers and empty coffee mugs scattered around.

Only sparing a passing glance to the area, Itachi and Sasori walked over to the refrigerator while Kisame made his way over to the pool table in the corner of the room. Deidara scoured the counter for his book, cerulean eyes reluctant but determined.

"Tobi will be downstairs," piped a familiar voice from a little ways away.

An inaudible sigh was shared around the room as the young student bounded into the room from the side of the living quarters. He passed the small soda/snack/yogurt bar along the way, and noticed them with some surprise. In his arms he held some rather feminine-looking clothes, and he looked as if he was ready to take them to the laundry room.

The sight raised every brow in the room.

Two jaws dropped when, instead of pestering them, Tobi said nothing and scurried into the room holding the washing machine. There was a sort of stunned silence that seemed to stretch throughout the resident hall, that which was broken only by the working hum of the clothes being washed. Not even an annoyingly cheerful hum of show tunes.

Itachi sipped his newfound glass of sparkling water, welcoming the quiet. Of course he found it peculiar that their most childish, naïve little member had somehow acquired rather girlish apparel and was now washing it without a single word to any of them, but any comment could potentially spur an unneeded and pointless discussion. So for the meantime, the Uchiha would merely wait and (not) welcome the inevitable.

A bright orange container blocked Itachi's line of vision, and he frowned at the obscurity. Sasori tilted it to pour some juice into his glass, unminding of the raven-haired scholar's impatience, until a pale hand shot out to lower it.

A smirk flashed, momentarily, across the redhead's thin lips before he set down the juice.

"Is Tobi's behavior not unusual to you, Itachi?" Sasori asked. He took a drink of his juice, watching him expectantly.

Itachi nodded once.

"Just as well, it is not my business."

"Do you think he got laid?" Deidara whispered doubtfully, not wanting to ruin the rare peace within the dorm. In his hands he held his newly found textbook. Coffee stains dotted the cover and page corners were ripped, but from where they were standing, it still looked readable.

…

"That would explain the clothes," murmured Sasori, a crease forming between his brow. The unwillingness to believe was etched clearly on his facial features, but it seemed the most obvious explanation.

He continued to sip his drink, sending questioning glances in the direction of the laundry room. It was beginning to sound as if the load was almost finished.

"But that doesn't explain the Tobi," Deidara hissed venomously.

Muted footsteps could be heard from the stairway, and four pairs of eyes shot over to the sound's origin in rapt attention. The consistent hum stopped suddenly, and silence reigned throughout the vicinity.

A mop of long, pink hair appeared in the doorway, along with a wide set of emerald eyes. They stared at each of the four shortly before the mystery guest stepped into the threshold, hands entwined together in front of her.

Discomfort was tangible around her, and every action showed her confusion and hesitation. A white, button up dress shirt fell down to her mid-thigh, and the sleeves were just a little long.

The girl's face heated quickly when she noticed that they were all _shirtless_ and _sweaty_ and unbelievably _hot_, but she trained her gaze firmly on the wall to her right and spoke quietly.

"Do any of you know where Tobi-san went? He left the room quite a while ago…"

Deidara's eyes widened dramatically at the implications within the statement, and he pointed an accusing finger at the emerging figure coming from the laundry room. The small, raven-haired young boy, basket in hand, paused in incomprehension and waited expectantly. He didn't seem to notice the pinkette standing across from him, a similar expression on her features.

"How the hell did you get _her_ in the sack, un?" the blonde asked in utter disbelief. Looks and glares of warning were quick to the draw but, as expected, Deidara was painfully oblivious. Itachi and Sasori's sharp eyes caught sight of the girl's heating, but for an entirely different reason than earlier, cheeks and Tobi's unfailingly blank look.

"Deidara, do not," Itachi warned, voice smooth and dark. He kept his gaze trained carefully on the pinkette, wondering who the girl could be.

She looked vaguely familiar to him—perhaps he had seen her on campus—and she never switched her emerald line of eyesight away from him. She was returning his watch curiously, something akin to vague recognition swimming in her irises instead of her anger.

Sasori watched their new guest as well, though a frown had appeared to tile the corners of his mouth downwards. She hadn't quite spoken yet, and by the way she seemed ready to pounce at any moment he could tell that she was being very cautious. Then again, he thought dryly, looking around, she had good reason to be wary.

"I apologize for our lack of appropriate clothing. We have just returned from a brief basketball game and haven't yet gotten the chance to change," he apologized with a faint smirk. "And please excuse Deidara; he isn't exactly someone that many can tolerate well. It has actually taken us two years to grow used to him and his ramblings."

At that comment, she cracked a smile.

"I guess I can see how that works," she agreed wryly. "And I'm sorry for intruding."

"Tobi says it's okay, but don't be too mean to Deidara-senpai, Sakura-san. Tobi knows that Deidara-senpai means well," Tobi said brightly, a grin creasing the corners of his eyes. He looked down at the basket in his hands, as if he had just noticed it, and somehow his smile brightened. "And Tobi finished Sakura-san's laundry, b-t-w. Tobi learned that b-t-w means 'by the way.'"

Sakura sighed but blanched at the tangible heightening of the curiosity level in the room, instinctively shrinking back a few inches. All of these strange new guys were unnerving her more than she would like to admit, though the tall, dark-haired one looking scarily familiar…

"Do you mean _the _Haruno Sakura?" asked the shark-man like student with a raised brow. He was just coming back from the pool table by the looks of it. "The brainy little freshman that just happened to stay on campus during break because her parents were off researching some new cure?"

Irritation and wonder caused Sakura to gnaw on her bottom lip. How could everyone possible know about such a personal matter? The fact that even this student, one that she had never even met before, knew about it cemented her mind's inferences just a slight bit more. She opened her mouth to respond.

"How do you know, hmm? Do follow little Sakura-_sama_ here around all day collecting pieces of her rare, one-of-a-kind, rose colored hair?" Deidara asked, sneering. He glanced quickly at said subject of the rhetorical stalking, an apology ready to spill out of his mouth. "No offense, Sakura. Kisame's a fishy freak, un."

Sakura smiled tentatively. This guy was learning pretty quickly, but perhaps knowledge about her infamous temper had gotten around as well. It was kind of interesting seeing the behavior of what she assumed were her academic elders, at any rate.

"It's fine, Deidara-san. At any rate, I'm sure that Kisame-san just picked up some of the campus gossip or something," she explained. Smirking in amusement, she added, "Besides, I don't remember seeing a tall, blue-skinned student following me into my bathroom or anything. Unless he's just that good."

Kisame flushed lightly, and Deidara cracked up while Sasori chuckled.

"Sakura, there really isn't need to waste formality on his particular group of people," Sasori told her simply with a sigh. He bowed forward slightly. "My name is Sasori, and I am a fourth-year here at Toudai. I am majoring in art and engineering. It's very nice to meet you- your academic achievements are extraordinary from what I've heard."

Sakura bowed as well, cheeks flushing. Such a handsome older guy had complimented her academic achievements of all things! It was all so surreal.

"Thank you very much. I'm sure that you already know that I'm majoring in neurology and am starting my first year here. My hair is all natural, just in case you all were wondering."

A flickering glance was directed at the only dark-haired occupant that she hadn't quite spoken to yet, and the one that she was the most curious about. He smirked at her, causing her eyes to redirect away from his too-handsome face, and he bowed as well.

"My name is Uchiha Itachi, and I am a fourth-year here as well," he introduced, voice like melted chocolate to her ears. Just hearing it melted her insides. "I am majoring in business and, like Sasori, I am quite interested in your scholarly background. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Itachi's smirk widened fractionally as her face darkened another shade.

"It's nice to meet you as well, I-Itachi," Sakura replied, cursing her stuttering. Why the hell was she so flustered? He was only Uchiha Itachi…

She froze.

It couldn't be.

Her eyes narrowed, and she studied him curtly, ignoring Deidara's snickering.

Thin lips, sharp facial features, high cheekbones, two identical lines running down either side of his face, the silky raven hair, and the mesmerizing onyx eyes; even the Greek-God like physique displayed blatantly by his lack of a shirt showed her that, clearly, this was the man that she was looking for.

He was the older brother of one of her childhood friends, Sasuke; the sibling that was preparing to inherit the Uchiha Corporation, much to his brother's relief and anxiety. How coincidental, running into him of all people. She really hadn't even been aware that this was the college that he was attending.

"Oh kami, you are _the_ Uchiha Itachi, aren't you?" Sakura breathed, grinning from ear to ear. She walked forward a step, oversized shirt flowing around her lithe figure. Before she could stop herself, she began to recite the information gathered over the years from her talks with Sasuke.

"You graduated top of your class with flying colors along with a ridiculous amount of perfectly completed pre-college credits. Fugaku-san had insisted throughout your childhood that you skip ahead a few grades because you were well above the rest of your peers on intelligence level, but Mikoto-san wouldn't allow you to be isolated and unable to fit in so you remained where you were. Sasuke-kun was always so worried about you."

Itachi looked at her with an unreadable expression, wondering just who this girl was. Her name rang a distant bell that was strangely clouded, but oddly enough her distinct appearance triggered next to nothing. She had mentioned his otouto as well as his parents with a warm familiarity, and his father was not one normally associated as such. Perhaps she was a family friend?

"How does Sakura-chan know so much about Itachi-senpai?" Tobi asked curiously, still holding the long-forgotten laundry basket in his arms. "Even Tobi did not know about Uchiha-sama's plans for Itachi-senpai. Itachi-senpai never mentioned."

"And you called me the stalker," mumbled Kisame, disguising it poorly with a cough.

"Excuse me? Would you like to say that again?" demanded Sakura venomously, planting her hands on her hips. A clearer view of her pale skin became exposed with the movement, and though none would admit to it, every gaze gave her an appreciative once-over. They were still college guys after all, and they had a fairly hot, half-naked girl in front of them. It was worth the risk.

"How do you know that?" Itachi asked softly.

Sakura sighed irritably, moving to cross her arms over her chest.

"Sasuke-kun has been a really close friend of mine since I was small and through high school. He always talked about you and all of your accomplishments, and how you would take the brunt of your father's high expectations so that they wouldn't be pushed to him. It was very sweet, really. I don't remember seeing you, besides in family photos, and I was—am—excited to finally meet Sasuke-kun's secret role model."

She paused, remembering Mikoto's heartfelt request to her for whenever she happened to see her eldest son. Four years was an awful long time without visits, as demanded by Fugaku in assistance to Itachi's focus on studies, and so Sakura supposed that for the Uchiha matriarch it was to be expected.

She looked at the impassive fourth-year, scrunching her nose and deciding that maybe she would honor the request later.

"Sasuke's role model?" asked Itachi, a quiet, throaty chuckle in his response. Deidara and Sasori looked at him in almost disbelief, unused to such a sound coming from him, and Kisame grinned widely, knowing that his best friend rarely showed such positive emotion around company. "That is… amusing."

"Tell me about it," Deidara agreed sarcastically. Tired of standing, he sat himself on the couch, textbook set on the center table. He lifted his feet and set them on the tabletop as well. "So you sound like you know the Uchiha family well, hmm, Sakura?"

She nodded, glancing pointedly at the white laundry basket in Tobi's arms. Smiling when he handed it over obediently, Sakura turned back to Deidara, pushing back her bangs.

"They've been nothing but nice to me since I was little. Kaasan and otousan had always been so busy, and even though I love them to death, Mikoto-san, Fugaku-san, and Sasuke-kun were like my adopted family. I would go over to the manor all of the time for meals and just to see everyone," Sakura elaborated, tucking the basket under her arm.

She looked at Itachi, a peculiar glint in her eyes.

"I'm sure that if you had been around more often I would have seen you. Mikoto-san says that I had always loved to pull on your hair when I had been small, but I really don't remember. You don't seem very familiar to me, in any case."

Itachi watched her closely, and slowly began to recall a particular memory sitting at home, sipping a warm cup of green tea in the kitchen, and suddenly being _assaulted_ by what he had seen as a flurry of pink.

His sharp eyes had looked down to see innocent emerald eyes looking at him just as curiously, an unusually sharp intellect showing subtly in her youthful features.

She had grinned up at him, baby teeth flashing proudly, and had reached up toward one of the dark strands of hair framing his face.

A rough tug.

Again.

Again.

He had skillfully withheld a discomfited wince, gently catching the toddler's hand. Her name was Sakura, he had recalled, the young girl that his otouto had mentioned frequently, and she had stopped him momentarily with a bubbly giggle. She had looked at their hands with an almost thoughtful expression.

"'tachi?" the small voice had questioned, tone unsure. He had looked down at her with the oddest expression, wondering how she could have known his name without having ever met him. He had later realized that Sasuke had probably mentioned him to her before.

"Itachi?" he heard presently, the same voice, matured, calling his name. Sakura was watching him with a smile, as if she had caught the nostalgic glow to his onyx orbs.

Itachi smirked at her, amused at how her cheeks filled with color at the gesture. He strode up to her gracefully, stopping only a few inches away, and sensed her frame tense up.

A scent of almost overwhelming sweetness seemed to embrace him as he captured Sakura's gaze. Mannerisms burned into his mind surfaced of their own accord, and he bowed forward slightly.

"Forgive me if this is sudden, but would you, ah, mind joining me for a walk around campus later?" Itachi asked smoothly, ignoring the cry of protest from Deidara and the curious glances from Kisame and Sasori. His attention was focused on Sakura's reaction: her flushing features and her attempt to avoid eye contact. "I wish to know more about one of Sasuke's only childhood friends- after you change, of course."

Sakura almost lost her grip on the basket, fumbling with it for a moment.

She took a step back, head tilting up to meet Itachi's gaze to convey her obvious shock. Uchiha Itachi, the man who had earned Sasuke's respect as well as her own—not to mention that he had been her secret childhood crush—was actually curious about her.

One different part of her just about melted while the more natural, sane part of her grew antsy about the prospect of speaking with someone of such unparalleled intelligence. How interesting such a mind must be!

The pinkette, in actuality, took to merely frowning in confusion.

"Are you sure about that, Itachi? I mean, I wouldn't want to interrupt whatever you all are doing," Sakura said unsurely, looking at all of his friends. She would feel bad if she ruined their little break time together just because she really had nothing else to do. "I should probably be leaving anyway; I've well overstayed my welcome."

"It's alright Sakura, we don't mind."

"Come on squirt, we wouldn't want to leave you all alone in your dorm, you know."

"Hey, you can even help me study for Hatake-sama's stupid class, yeah."

Flattered that they wanted her to stay for a bit longer, Sakura's ears perked up at the name of one of her favorite professors. Hatake Kakashi, though he was a lazy-ass 99.9% of the time, was a brilliant man with interesting theories to present whenever he bothered to open his mouth. Personally, she found his wit quite refreshing as well.

She smiled at Itachi, agreeing to speak with him whenever it was convenient, and turned toward the staircase.

"I'm sure that I can help you a little, Deidara. Hatake-sama's lectures are something of a challenge, but once you've got it figured out you should be perfectly fine," Sakura shared, ascending the stairs. "I'll help you as soon as I change, even though this shirt _is_ comfortable. Whose did you say this was, Tobi?"

"Itachi-senpai!" he replied, clearly proud of himself. "Tobi figured that Itachi-senpai was closest to Sakura-chan's size, and Tobi was right. Tobi thinks that the shirt looks very good on Sakura-chan."

Predictably, upon hearing that she was wearing Itachi's shirt, Sakura almost squeaked in embarrassment. How the hell had this happened? Of course she just happened to be wearing Sasuke's older brother's shirt. Just her luck. With difficulty, she willed her feet to continue moving.

Reaching the top of the staircase and finding the door to Tobi's room, Sakura yelled down, cheeks blazing again:

"Thank you for letting me borrow your shirt, Itachi!"

The door slammed shut, leaving Itachi with a finely raised brow, wondering, for one, why he wasn't more upset with Tobi for stealing his dress shirt.

At least he had helped someone in need, he supposed. One who he knew was going to be an interesting individual to be around.

:)(:+:)(:+:)(:+:)(:+:)(:

"Dei-Deidara, sweetheart, the main idea of the account isn't that the man is a depression-prone asshole that has problems with his love life because of a disease that ruins his skin," Sakura told him patiently, slightly irked by the loud explosions blasting from the television.

Turning at the sound of Kisame's loud curse, Sakura hissed out her complaint, albeit politely. She was having difficulty relaying the information to Deidara, whose attention was split between the lesson and the video game.

He was trying to pay attention, which she appreciated, but a little cooperation from his dormmate would really do wonders to help.

Pressing pause with the utmost care, earning an eye roll, Kisame swatted the back of Deidara's head harshly. From his side, Tobi fluttered about the blonde helplessly, trying to lend a hand. The boy was knocked on the head angrily though, and he returned quickly back to his original position on the couch, whimpering.

"What the hell was that for, un?"

"For being a stupid ass," Kisame growled, picking up his remote once again. As he was about to resume, Sakura swiped the controller out of his hand. "…And for getting my game ruined, dick."

"Try not to blame Deidara," she said dryly, handing Tobi the game controller. He bounced away with a grin, happy to help his new friend. "He's still learning about this, and once he's finished I'll get Tobi to give you your remote back."

How much easier it was to be around these guys while they were completely clothed, she noticed with relief. It was simpler to breathe when she was speaking to handsome faces rather than handsome faces _and _hot bodies.

Deidara laughed, slapping Sakura on the back respectfully. He was still carefully about pissing her off, but was a little more comfortable with his new, brainy friend.

"Now let's get back to your lesson," Sakura continued, touching his head lightly with her fist.

Kisame's stomach grumbled harshly, and he stood up smoothly. Stretching out his limbs, more than happy to receive an opportunity to get a snack, he left the pinkette and her pupil chatting on the couch and grabbed Tobi by the shirt collar.

The shark man began to drag the raven-haired boy with him, regardless of the complaints that he was spewing about having just gotten back to the main room.

Stopping in front of the refrigerator and stooping down to pull out the container of chocolate milk, Kisame gulped straight from the carton. He sighed, the sound coming out as if he had just finished the most taxing thing in the college world.

To him though, dealing with Haruno Sakura as well as Deidara while they were studying was very trying.

"Kisame-senpai?"

Oh, and the damned runt wasn't helping either.

"Sakura-chan might want some chocolate milk later, too. And if Kisame-senpai drinks straight from the carton, it might upset Sakura-chan."

Liking the idea that Tobi unknowingly presented, Kisame hacked up an impressive mouthful of spit. Looking down at the light brown container and taking aim, he shot it all into the hole.

He grinned like mad, shaking it up with a chuckle. Let's see her take that, he thought smugly.

Opening up the door and placing it on the second shelf, Kisame smirked proudly and turned back toward Tobi, only to find him talking to Itachi in hushed tones and pointing at the fridge.

"I see," nodded Itachi, smirking slightly at his younger cousin. His penetrating onyx eyes moved over to Kisame's sheepish expression, and he stared at him for a moment. The wheels seemed to turn in his head, even over something as miniscule as this, and eventually he just left the room without a word.

Kisame's gaze followed him instinctively, watching him go into the main room with Sakura and Deidara. Thinking that Itachi might sell him out, even if they were best friends, he scrutinized the trio's expressions as they spoke.

The Uchiha obviously gave nothing away, Sakura looked confused, and Deidara looked indignant. The blonde raised his book, pointing to it and heatedly mouthing a few words before Sakura spoke again, causing his face to relax. Then he waved them away, pulling out his music player and kicking up his feet as the pinkette walked toward the kitchen with Itachi.

"I'm giving Deidara a little break and heading over to the campus store with Itachi to find some nougat and chocolate milk," Sakura told Kisame, a question in her movements as she stared longingly at an apple on the counter. She picked it up, receiving the get-go from both Kisame and Itachi. "There aren't that many sweets around. Hell, even at my dorm I can't find a decent chocolate bar."

Obviously he was in the clear, so Kisame pushed Sakura and her slightly irritated Uchiha companion out the front door with a grin, unminding that he now had two annoyed people coming back later. As long as he got his game, television, and nap time, he was happy for the day.

Sakura, on the other hand, was reasonably unhappy as she mumbled angry sentiments at the man through her mouth full of apple. No juice stained her girlish white blouse, so she continued munching away.

"Sorry," she apologized guiltily, words jumbled by the fruit. "But I never got the chance to eat lunch, and this apple is delicious. You should try one."

She nodded surely, amusing Itachi.

"I had intended to eat that very apple, as a matter of fact," he told her smoothly, beginning to walk down the path.

There was an almost definitively surprised silence before Sakura's fumbling footsteps caught up to him. Itachi slowed his stride imperceptibly to allow her to stay even with him.

"I-I'm sorry Itachi, I didn't have any idea," Sakura said hurriedly, voice quick and embarrassed. "If I had known I would have just taken a banana." Damn, luck just wasn't with her today.

Itachi looked down at the girl beside him, her cheeks that seemed to be stuck in a light pink blush whenever he happened to glance her way. Because of her obvious intellect, he had assumed that she would be almost similar to him, but such was not the case.

In fact, she was such a contrast to him that it was almost laughable.

Haruno Sakura had large emerald eyes that could be read like a book, an almost fragile, petite build, and hair a soft shade of coral. She was easily embarrassed and had a hot temper, but at the same time she was quick to help others and enjoyed being in the presence of people that she judged to be kind and caring.

Itachi smirked at the confusion that was apparent when Sakura noticed his staring. He didn't turn away or deny that he had been studying her- in fact, it seemed to her that he was now scrutinizing her reaction. It unnerved her, and she snapped her gaze to the pavement as they continued to walk.

"Why did you end up asking me to walk with you to the campus store?" Sakura asked instead, opting to ignore the fact that he had been practically burning holes in her face for the past few minutes. She suspected the answer already—she wasn't stupid—but she wanted to know what he would say.

Spotting a trash can nearby, she took aim with her apple core, still waiting for a response.

Instead of an immediate answer, Sakura felt two warm hands change her arm placement and grip. Shocked, she turned back her head to find Itachi right there, cheek beside hers.

"I apologize," he said, voice unruffled by their proximity. He didn't move. "You… remind me of Sasuke, attempting to shoot his first basket. And because I play a fair amount myself, I wished to correct you."

Sakura laughed a little.

"You can say that so nonchalantly," she explained, giving herself a little credit that she was at least able to show amusement with him so close to her.

The feel of his muscles and his musky scent were so distracting, and she had to forcefully keep herself from leaning into him. They had just met, for kami's sake!

Well, formally in a manner that she was aware of.

"I didn't know that you played basketball."

"I participate only with my dormmates," Itachi supplied.

Sakura smiled, tensing her arms and preparing for the shot. Itachi's hand guided hers, and she threw the core lightly, landing it almost perfect center in the trash can.

The pinkette beamed; sports really weren't her forte, but with Itachi's help, she had practically made a decent shot. It really was an accomplishment, at least in her eyes.

Itachi released her then, stepping away a respectable distance.

Waiting politely for Sakura to join him, he found himself watching her once again. She seemed almost ecstatic about making the shot, and he felt a sense of slight accomplishment personally for helping her become so happy, even if it was over something so insignificant.

Remembering that they were supposed to be going to the store, Sakura adopted a bashful expression, coughing to hide her embarrassed laugh.

"Sorry Itachi, I'm just, um, not very good at sports and well, I got a little overexcited," she said, practically skipping over to his side. The quiet of the campus grounds was rather comfortable, she thought, looking around.

"Is that so?" Itachi asked softly.

The sound didn't ruin the serenity at all: on the contrary, it matched the environment almost perfectly. It made Sakura smile to herself.

"Yes. When I was little I used to be so clumsy," the pinkette sighed.

Then, as if on cue, Sakura stumbled on the steps that they were descending, causing Itachi to instinctively steady her with a smirk. She began to mumble angrily after managing a 'thank you,' and the Uchiha released her.

"I do recall that particular detail," he agreed, tone bland.

Itachi glanced around at the buildings and noticed a few students within the classrooms either retaking courses or completing new ones to pull ahead. Not too far ahead he noticed a coffee cart, and he adjusted his course to take him there. A fresh cup of coffee would do him wonders at the moment.

Sakura was slightly startled when her companion suddenly began to walk in a totally different direction, and she stumbled again, trying to keep pace with him. A frown marred her features as she hurried to find her footing.

"Would you object to a cup of coffee, Sakura?" Itachi asked, gesturing to the cart. He almost found himself chuckling when he stole a sidelong glance at Sakura. She almost seemed to be struggling to adjust to his change of direction, which he found endlessly amusing.

"Don't patronize me Uchiha," she replied, just narrowly avoiding the tone of childish sulking. Normally she tried to refrain from adopting such a snappy attitude, and almost an hour ago she would never have dreamed about acting as such toward the Uchiha heir, but she was steadily becoming aware that he found her almost entertaining. Plus, he was reminding her more of Sasuke. So why the hell not?

Itachi raised a brow. Such a bold little quip, but it seemed to suit her nature more comfortably.

"That was not my intention," he said tonelessly, coming upon the stand.

The young student working there cleaning the cart looked up in surprise and caught sight of the approaching duo. The fact that only a handful of people had crossed her line of sight since the university cleared out added to the shock of seeing customers.

Especially _these_ particular customers.

"Sakura-san," she greeted in shock, setting down the rag in her hand. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Temari-san?" Sakura asked in equal shock, walking closer to the counter. "I was actually thinking the same thing. You didn't want to head home to spend some time with Gaara and Kankuro over break?"

"I'm staying for a few extra classes," Temari supplied with a laugh. "But trust me, I would definitely haul my ass out of this place if I got the chance. The coffee stand isn't really my thing anyway."

The blonde paused, looking over Sakura's shoulder curiously and spotting a rather stoic-looking, dark-haired Uchiha Itachi standing behind her quietly. Her jaw almost dropped in disbelief, but she held it firmly in place.

"Uhmm, Sakura-san, would you like to order something? Or did you just stop by to say hello?" Temari asked, realizing that it had really been Itachi who had wanted to come by. She had never met the guy, but she knew that she probably didn't want to keep him waiting.

Sakura must have realized something along those lines as well because she suddenly turned around, an apology ready.

"I'm so sorry Itachi. You wanted to order a drink, didn't you?" Sakura asked with concern, reaching behind to pull him over by the hand. The action didn't go unnoticed by Temari or said person by whom she was pulling, and the former grinned mischievously.

"It is alright, Sakura. I do not mind if you wish to speak to your friend."

Itachi's eyes cut over to stare intently at Temari. He bowed politely, introducing himself.

"I am Uchiha Itachi."

Aware of just exactly who he was, the blonde flushed and returned the bow hurriedly.

"I'm Subaku Temari. I-It's nice to meet you Uchiha-san," she managed, disbelieving.

Temari held back a sigh of relief when he turned back to face the pinkette.

"Temari and I have a class together, and I also know her brothers from a few, well, previous engagements," Sakura explained to the inquisitive light in his eyes. Smiling at his affirmative nod she turned to face Temari, only to find an impish expression displayed on her features. It made her uneasy.

"I see."

There were a few beats of silence.

"Would you like to order something, you two?"

Sakura attempted to step back and allow Itachi to order- it had been his rather untimely craving that had brought them there in the first place, after all.

But he was having none of it.

Stepping behind Sakura gracefully and gently pushing her forward again, Itachil allowed himself a small smirk at the blush that adorned her porcelain features. The color deepened when he showed no indication of removing his hand, placed on the small of her back, but she said nothing.

"Ladies first Sakura," the Uchiha said, watching her with half-hooded eyes.

She nodded shyly, giving Temari her usual order of a simple cappuccino while Itachi requested a cup of black coffee.

This earned him an odd glance from Sakura at his choice of such a strong beverage, but as soon as she scrutinized his body language and posture she noticed the barest hint of a tired slump to his figure. The lined beneath his eyes seemed more defined as well, but she had the feeling that if she asked him about it he would deny it in an instant.

Accepting her drink without much thought Sakura thanked Temari, telling her that she would see her in class after break.

"Thank you Temari-san. It was a pleasure speaking with you," Itachi said, tilting his head forward.

"Not a problem Uchiha-san. Take care of Sakura for me while you can; she's such a spazz. I swear, she could be a legal health hazard to everyone within ten feet of her."

Puffing up in indignation, Sakura stuck out her tongue at the blonde childishly. In return Temari just leaned over the pinkette's ear and whispered something that Itachi couldn't catch.

Whatever it was, he felt her tense up beneath her palm and hiss angrily at her laughing friend.

"Don't even joke about something like that Temari."

Her cold drink sat dormant in her hand, but she quickly sipped a little of it before walking away.

Retracting his hand and following Sakura at a lax pace, he was slightly surprised when, after walking a fair distance, she sat herself on a wooden bench on the side of the path. Itachi had been expecting her to continue on, not wanting to waste time, but this was a rather unexpected alternative.

Sakura breathed deeply to will the remaining color from her cheeks, and once they became a healthy pale once again she popped the translucent lid off of her drink. The whipped cream sitting atop the drink in a swirl was undisturbed, and her expression became contemplative.

Then, as if coming to a decision, she dipped a careful finger into the white cream and pulled out a fair amount onto her appendage. Sakura stared at it for a moment, remembering one of her habits from her childhood with a fond smile.

"You still enjoy licking the whipped cream from the top of your drinks?"

Itachi asked it so quietly that Sakura was unsure whether or not she was supposed to hear it. He had sat down almost silently beside her, and was looking at her with softened eyes.

Feeling her insides flutter lightly, Sakura wondered if he had possibly seen her do the same thing when they had been younger: his memory was probably as sharp as could be compared to hers, so the chance was likely. The flutter began to pick up speed.

"Would you like some?" she heard herself ask rather pleasantly, tilting her head toward her cup.

Something passed through Itachi's gaze—something too quick for her to identify—and before she could realize what he was doing, she felt his lips on her finger. Then, as if that weren't enough, she felt his tongue scoop up a majority of the cream before pulling away swiftly.

The sight of Itachi's lips with a trace of whipped cream touching them was almost comical, sans the fact that said lips were turned up into a smirk and his eyes were lightly specked with amusement.

Sakura though, was fairly far from feeling entertained.

"W-what, Itachi, I meant from the damn cup," she told him indignantly, uncaring that she had practically just cursed in his face. She felt her profile continue to heat.

"How was I to know, Sakura?" Itachi asked, managing to pull off a look of utter innocence while retaining his Uchiha pride. With cream on his lips. (while still looking _delicious_, Sakura inner mind contributed helpfully)

Deciding not to grace that infuriating comment with an answer, Sakura turned her head away from him and licked the remaining whipped cream from her finger in frustration.

"Sakura."

"What, Itachi?"

When no response came, Sakura rolled her eyes and dipped her finger into her cup once again, fully prepared to lick away in silence.

Then the Uchiha's unspoken comment hit home, dropping Sakura's stomach to her feet.

Closing her eyes and hissing air from between her teeth like a frenzied cat, she finally turned back to her dark-haired source of discontent.

Itachi was watching her silently, almost curiously, when she demanded that he repay her 'stolen' whipped cream. His lips twitched upwards by their own volition, and he swore that he saw her eye twitch.

"Are you sure that is what you wish?"

"Of course, you insufferable, bio-degradable, egotistical-"

Sakura paused mid intellectual rant (something that she had realized that she tended to start whenever she became unusually angry and frustrated) when she felt Itachi move invasively close to her, surprising the girl stiff.

Without uttering a sound, his lips descended onto hers.

There was no warning, no indication, and as soon as Sakura tasted whipped cream and a hint of peppermint on his mouth, not much more thought.

The sweetness of the action made Sakura smile into Itachi's lips, and she surprised both of them when she quickly licked the remainder of the white cream from his mouth. He returned the favor as well, tracing her lips with his tongue before pulling back slowly with a small, lazy smile.

Not allowing herself to be disappointed because for kami's sake she had just kissed Sasuke's elder brother, Sakura blinked open viridian eyes that she hadn't even noticed had closed. Itachi's sharp, handsome features greeted her, his gaze intense but holding a muted fascination that she couldn't quite place.

"What was that for?" Sakura mumbled, averting her eyes. Feeling rather timid for the first time since they had left the dorm, she began to shift uneasily.

"You wished for me to return your whipped cream t to you," he replied. She could practically feel his elegant shrug.

Irritation washed through Sakura, though not as violently as she had expected. She looked down at her drink and, sighing, picked it up to sip. The silence and casuality was not something that the freshman was used to, or comfortable with, so after two more small drinks, she simmered down.

"We've just met, Itachi," Sakura pointed out, feeling a quite traditional-like. Kissing so soon after meeting was normally frowned upon, even if this seemed a little out of the ways of a normal situation.

Itachi noticed her scoot down the bench a little, but said nothing- she was well within her right to do so.

"That is technically not true, but I suppose I understand your sentiments," Itachi said rather condescendingly.

He grasped his coffee cup with long, elegant fingers and swallowed a portion of the liquid.

"That was when I was, what, four years old?" argued Sakura, knocking against her skull with her knuckles to mime the action of tapping on a wooden door. The action spurred a single chuckle from Itachi, to which she glared at.

"My point being that my memory isn't so hot. There are so many blank spots from before I turned five that you'd think I was unconscious for half of the time. Don't ask me why."

Now that he thought about it, Itachi supposed that not seeing Sakura for such a long time as well as the constant stress and annoyance concerning the family business had both contributed to his own mental shortcomings. Even when he had been fairly young, his opportunities to play with Sasuke had been painfully limited due to the extra lessons and courses that he had been taking.

That also included a lack of time for getting to know his otouto's best friends.

He supposed that now, with Sakura, he was making up for lost time.

Kisame's chocolate milk incident had offered up a decent reason for her to walk with him, and the coffee had helped in regaining his focus from the sleepless nights caused by a mixture of insomnia and heavy studying. (though he could have very well sent Tobi to retrieve it without a problem)

But why had he kissed her? Yes, he found her interesting, refreshingly intelligent and witty, and very attractive, but that still did not excuse the fact that it had been quite uncalled for.

Or the fact that he wanted to do it again.

"I apologize, Sakura."

The pinkette smiled a little, having already forgiven him. It wasn't as if it had been her first or anything, and she was sure that he hadn't been trying to make her uncomfortable on purpose.

"You really don't talk much, do you?" Sakura asked with a teasing grin, not finding a reason to linger on the subject. "But then again, I didn't really expect anything different."

"Hn," Itachi grunted noncommittally.

Scowling and attempting to kick him lightly without success, she couldn't help but think that he was suddenly going to shut up just to anger her.

Soon after the mutinous comment, Sakura quickly figured that he had actually been fairly _talkative _throughout their conversations. Sasuke hadn't even begun to talk to her fully until Naruto had shown up.

Why had she mentioned? She had accidentally made talking to the Uchiha even more difficult.

…Well hell if she wouldn't try to drag him through the conversation anyway.

"So, since I'm one of Sasuke-kun's best friends, I'm assuming that you want to know more about either him or yours truly," Sakura began, tapping her chin in mock contemplation. Remembering her silent promise, she added, "If it makes you more comfortable, you can just blink once for Sasuke and twice for me."

Itachi smirked and raised a brow.

"Though I do not choose to speak as much as one such as yourself, Sakura, I am not physically incapable of doing so," he told her evenly. Adding two blinks for good measure, he inclined his head toward her in response to the question.

Standing with a sigh, Sakura cursed her sudden migraine and picked up her troublesome drink.

"Fine, but I'm telling you now that it won't be a very interesting conversation."

Itachi stood as well, gesturing down the path with a small sweep of his hand.

"I must say that I disagree, though we have a fair amount of time to speak if you wish to change my mind."

"So this walk was just a _clever_ ruse to get a chance to talk with me?" clarified Sakura, answering her own question from earlier on in the conversation. Of course she had known the answer even if he hadn't yet- she wasn't called a genius for nothing, after all.

"It is what it is, Sakura."

Infuriating.

Infuriating, but in his own way, he had admitted to it.

Walking over to stand by his side, she couldn't help but feel flattered that he had wanted to stroll with her for the sole purpose of talking. Nothing challenging in particular besides finding the patience to deal with his ego, and he didn't seem to expect anything from her.

He was, in simplistic terms, lending her an ear.

Sakura smiled as they resumed their milk/nougat pickup trip at an unhurried pace once again.

"I remember the first time that my parents ever showed me a calculator, oddly enough. Even weirder, it was when I was only a year old, yet I recall it with perfect clarity. Maybe my brain was wired to specifically store memories of education…"

:)(:+:)(:+:)(:+:)(:+:)(:

"What's taking them, yeah?" Deidara wondered aloud. He tossed the basketball in his hands up into the air, waiting for gravity to return it back down to his outstretched form. The couch remained steady beneath his back.

"Don't know," Kisame replied absently, mind focused on the game in front of him. "You're lucky that Hidan and Kakuzu aren't here, or they'd fry your ass for asking so much."

"Milk, dammit! Milk," Deidara snapped curtly. "You ruined a fucking carton of milk, and you know that my doctor told me to drink at least three cups a day, hmm. Kind of hard without any in the fridge."

"Freaking pixie's fault, not mine," Kisame grumbled, twitching when Tobi poked him in the shoulder.

"Itachi-senpai wasn't upset with Kisame-senpai. Tobi thinks that Itachi-senpai _wanted_ to talk to Sakura-chan," Tobi commented from behind his blue-skinned elder.

Kisame just snorted while Deidara scoffed.

"What Tobi says is logical," Sasori stated evenly, pulling the blonde's incredulous azure eyes over to himself. "As I have said before, do not allow your judgment of him to cloud your mind, Deidara."

Sitting upright and passing the basketball to Sasori—earning a growl from Kisame as it soared across the screen—Deidara frowned and looked over at Tobi. The raven-haired thir year beamed back at him.

"My judgment of the runt is perfectly sound, Sasori-dono," he said surely.

Sasori rolled his eyes, twirling the orange sports ball on his finger effortlessly. The sound of a dying soldier as Kisame threw a knife into his neck brought no change to his expression. The redhead silently mused to himself that he, Kisame, and quite possibly Deidara and Itachi would seem quite intimidating to the other students on campus.

After all, the whole Akatsuki dorm, sans Tobi, took violence and bloodshed with an airy nonchalance- both in real life and of course, not. They were all what others called 'loners,' but Sasori saw nothing wrong with not socializing past the point of necessity. And he was sure that the others felt the same.

The other students were merely allowing themselves to be too easily disquieted.

As he washed blood cover the screen, he felt his lips twitch up into a smirk.

In another life, he was sure that he was a cold-blooded killer.

:)(:+:)(:+:)(:+:)(:+:)(:

"What do you think they're doing?" Sakura asked offhandedly.

She scanned the store shelves with a critical eye, frowning in concentration. Just the right kind of nougat, she told herself.

Itachi grunted, uninterested, from the other side of the shelf. He himself was searching for a new carton of chocolate milk and coming up just a little short. Campus stores tended to sell soda, not juice and milk.

Unsatisfied with his answer, Sakura grabbed a package from the selection and threw it at the back of the Uchiha's head, though there wasn't really any force to it.

To her surprise, it bounced lightly off of his skull and landed on the ground with a quiet thud. Itachi hadn't even really attempted to dodge the projectile, and all that she received in response from him was an almost inaudible sigh.

"Was that really necessary, Sakura?"

Chuckling sheepishly and muttering a quick apology that vaguely explained her irritation toward Uchiha grunts in particular, Sakura walked around the shelf and picked up the fallen bag of sweets at Itachi's feet. She glanced at the brand name and smirked, flashing the name to the man beside her proudly.

"Guess whose head just happened to magically attract my favorite brand of nougat?" she asked excitedly, not caring about the oddity of her question.

"I am assuming that the question is rhetorical," Itachi deadpanned, choosing a carton of milk illustrating a brown cow giving a thumbs-up on the front. It was Deidara's favorite and he held it carefully, ignoring Sakura's giggles.

Not commenting, she snatched a small package of gummy worms on her way to the counter and carried her purchases to the front. An elderly woman greeted her with a smile.

As she rang the items up in silence, Itachi appeared beside Sakura and set down the milk. He pulled out his wallet without a word and took out his company card, about to hold it out to the woman, when Sakura's hand met his with cash in her open palm.

Obsidian clashed with viridian—not for the first time that day—and he saw Sakura force a smile.

"You really don't have to worry about paying, Itachi," Sakura insisted tersely, stressing his name. The smile was still in place.

Itachi's eyes narrowed a fraction of an inch, and his sharp vision caught the tiniest twitch of the corner of her mouth.

"I insist," he said coolly, masking his amusement behind his serious demeanor. These little clashes between the two of them were becoming quite familiar now, and he found that he enjoyed them.

"As do I," Sakura ground out. She found that the more frustrated that she became, the tighter her smile became; she had the feeling that she would look like the fucking Joker if this kept going.

Itachi cracked a smirk then, leaning over to place a chaste kiss on her lips.

It certainly did its job in confusing the hell out of her.

Knowing that Sakura would be stunned for approximately three seconds while simultaneously calculating a number of various indignant responses in her mind, he urged for the thoroughly entertained cashier to swipe his card. As if sensing the rush, the register immediately beeped out the receipt and the woman tore it, putting it in the bag.

"What the hell Uchiha Itachi, you can't just kiss me whenever the hell you think I should shut up or as a distraction for you to pay a freaking bill…"

"Thank you," Itachi said, bowing and taking the bags.

"Not a problem, you two," dismissed the cashier easily. "Young love is bound to have its difficulties."

"Young love? I'm sorry, but this _Uchiha_ beside me is so irksome that I can't even think straight at the moment."

"Oh, you're both quite intelligent as well. Politeness comes with it as well, as I can see. You're lucky to have each other, you know. If I may say, black and pink is a cute combination."

Emitting a groan of frustration because obviously her point wasn't reaching this woman who she suspected had selective hearing, Sakura thanked her hurriedly and let herself out to wait for Itachi outside. At least there she wouldn't have to worry about a nervous breakdown.

Once the pinkette was out of sight, the elderly woman began to laugh in amusement, looking back at Itachi with an apologetic smile.

"Please don't let your little friend take this old woman's comments seriously," she told him. "I can see that the two of you aren't in a relationship like _that_ at the moment."

Nodding, Itachi agreed with soft assent. He became slightly wary when the woman's eyes sharpened mischievously. The watched him with an intensity that one would attribute to an Uchiha, if he did say so himself.

"I can tell that you're confused, dear," she soothed. "But follow your gut, especially with this girl: if you want more with her, then make your intentions clear. Don't wait for too long though; I believe that you're aware of what could happen if you do."

"…quite."

Wishing her well and sweeping out of the store, he met up with Sakura, bags in hand.

Glancing momentarily at his unreadable expression, Sakura's brows knitted together.

They stood side by side in front of the campus store, situated a little ways away from the administrative building, and she waited for him to lead the way. Finding her dorm from here was already a bit of a challenge, and she didn't want to waste time in getting them lost.

"Would you like to take the long way or the short way?" he asked, his gaze cutting over to her. His stiff tone bothered her, but she decided not to mention.

At once Sakura wanted to reply with 'short,' but seeing as how he had put up with the details of her life as they had walked, not to mention that he had actually been genuinely interested, she wanted to offer him the same opportunity in the form of talking about whatever he needed to.

"Let's take the long way. Even though we've talked plenty about me, I want to hear about you, too."

Hearing her uncertainty slowly change into conviction softened Itachi's gaze fractionally- he hadn't wanted to make her uncomfortable. He was aware that she had chosen partially out of guilt, and so he didn't move.

"Sakura, the choice is simple. Do not allow me to influence your decision," he almost smirked, feeling that she would overcomplicate things.

"But there's obviously something wrong."

"There is no need to concern yourself with my worries."

"Well, I'm concerned anyway. I know that if you're anything like Sasuke-kun, then you don't talk about your problems with anyone, sans Mikoto-san. You work them through in your head until you think that you've solved them. But maybe this time I can help you out."

Instead of replying, Itachi graced her with a chuckle and began walking. He glanced back at Sakura over his shoulder, smirk flashing at her frustration as she came back up to meet him.

Snatching the bag of nougat from his hands with a huff, she ripped open the package and snapped a small piece off. Tossing it into her mouth, she bit into it with a sickening crunch.

"Asshole."

"Would you like to share, Sakura?"

"Get your own."

Thinking that he was allowing himself one too many chuckles on this particular day, he restrained the oncoming laugh and settled for another twitch of his lips.

A rather small, pink-haired young woman with a background similar to his own with a strong personality was possibly the only one other than his brother and elder cousin who was comfortable enough (or courageous enough, he wasn't yet sure) with him to joke around and insult him.

Perhaps because of that, it wouldn't be unacceptable to allow himself to enjoy her company. After all, one didn't meet many like her, he thought dryly.

"Come on Itachi," Sakura said, jogging ahead of him and biting into the nougat once again. "I assume that you decided to take the short way, so hurry up."

Instead of seeing the Uchiha speed up, she could have sworn that he had the nerve to _slow down_.

Why did he have to insist on contradicting her?

Rolling her eyes, Sakura sprinted back over to him and moved around to his back. Not caring that it was immature because really, she just wanted to get back, she began to push him forward.

"Sakura."

"Don't you start with me, Itachi. I am willing to push you all the way back to your dorm."

"Do as you wish."

Leaning around his tall frame and catching sight of his bored expression, Sakura scowled at Itachi and continued to push his seemingly reluctant form. She had dealt with Naruto's crazy ramen obsession as well as Sasuke's tomato craze- patience with anything but this man's attitude was her specialty.

She didn't care that he was part of her beloved adopted family; this was becoming personal.

Screw the Uchiha and his nerves of steel.

Sakura was going to push his relatively umoving ass back to the Akatsuki dorm.

:)(:+:)(:+:)(:+:)(:+:)(:

"Sasori-senpai, Tobi wants to know if Sakura-chan can stay for the night."

Glancing up from the novel that he had been perusing, finally getting the opportunity to read thanks to the silence coming with Deidara and Kisame falling asleep, the redhead adjusted his reading glasses.

"It's up to Sakura whether or not she wishes to stay, but she is more than welcome to," he replied, looking back down at his book. "But I'm not sure that I'm the one you should be asking."

"But Sakura-chan mentioned that Sakura-chan was alone in her dorm for the semester break. Tobi doesn't want Sakura-chan to be all alone, and Tobi knows that Sasori-senpai doesn't want Sakura-chan to be, either."

Frowning at the surprisingly accurate truth of the statement, Sasori closed his book in defeat, accepting that his small window of a reading opportunity had vanished.

Instead he opted for pondering about the pink-haired freshman.

Sakura was certainly a bright young woman, and she quite enjoyed helping others. Her fierce temper wasn't to be tampered with, but he could understand how some could find it amusing.

Personally he wasn't fond of the idea of knowing that she would be sleeping alone in such a large dorn, (curse the ridiculous lack of alumni and supervisors on campus during break: was leaving a freshman alone in her dorm even legal?) but it would be a little inappropriate to take in a fellow student that they had known only a day.

Then again, as long as the entire Akatsuki dorm that would be present during her stay approved, then it wasn't much of a problem.

Sasori stopped the inner debate within his mind cold.

Damn, he really needed an aspirin.

"Oi! Kisame, get the hell out here!"

Sasori sighed through his headache, knowing full well that even Sakura's loud screaming wouldn't be enough to wake Kisame. The man had slept through a fire drill in high school once…and through the teacher's reprimanding yells afterwards.

Thinking that he would do Sakura a brief favor, Sasori walked over to the couch and silently pushed Kisame off of the cushions. His snores were becoming rather thunderous, which wasn't exactly helpful to his skull's inward pain.

Kisame hit the ground with a thud, but there wasn't a reaction until a solid five seconds later.

He groaned and rubbed the back of his head, lifting it up. Squinting his eyes and yawning, he looked up at Sasori in confusion.

"Sakura called for you," he informed him evenly, pointing at the door and seating himself back on the couch.

Not happy that his nap had been so rudely interrupted, Kisame grumbled under his breath and made his way out the front door. What could the pixie want that could be so important?

"Kisame."

Stopping short on the threshold and rubbing his eyes because hell he couldn't believe what he was seeing, Kisame snorted quietly until the sounds quickly escalated into full blown laughter.

Itachi, now looking a little disgruntled, was being pushed toward the dorm by an annoyed-beyond-belief Sakura. He was carrying two grocery bags and his feet were unmoving, which possibly meant that she had been doing this since their stop at the campus store.

Kisame knew his friend well enough to know that anything more than that distance was outrageous and unnecessary for him.

Sakura, on the other hand, was one determined little chick, to which he pointed out once the laughter subsided.

"Much appreciated. Now help me haul this guy inside, for kami's sake."

Agreeing to just shut up and follow orders for once, Kisame plucked the immobile Uchiha up by the arms and carried him inside before anyone could see the scene. By then Itachi would have been glaring daggers if he had allowed himself to.

Instead he just walked over to the kitchen and set the plastic bags on the counter.

"Tobi."

"Yes Itachi-senpai?" Tobi replied readily, springing up from the ground behind the couch and bouncing over into the kitchenette.

"You may arrange the supplies in the refrigerator in whatever way you see fit."

"Really? Oh, Tobi is so excited! Tobi has been _dying_ to organize the refrigerator since Deidara-senpai's panic attack last week."

"Thanks for reminding him, Itachi," Kisame said, relieved. "Deidara's little episode in destroying the fridge to find his yogurt sent food flying everywhere."

"Plus Tobi is unusually gifted at organization," Sasori added, throwing his two cents into the conversation.

Sakura smiled at how family-like their conversations and bickering sounded. They really were close, and she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like with such few people within a dorm. Her own dorm held many more than the Akatsuki's, even if theirs was a good deal smaller than hers.

The thought reminded her that Sasuke and Naruto would be coming to Toudai the following year.

Her small smile brightened a notch.

"Hey Sakura, why were you pushing Itachi over here anyway?" Kisame asked, throwing a scrap of paper at Sakura's head when he noticed that she wasn't saying much.

"He wouldn't move his feet," Sakura explained simply.

She swatted the paper away before it could make contact, earning a smirk from Itachi as well as chuckles from Kisame and Sasori.

Glancing at the time, Sakura frowned and ran a hand through her hair. She began to walk over to the coffee table, managing a giggle at Deidara's slumbering form, and she picked up her anatomy textbook.

"I should be going," Sakura told the boys, turning around to face them. "It's getting late."

"You just got here, kid," Kismae said, raising a brow.

"It's going to be dark soon Kisame."

He glanced out the window, surprised at the sight of the changing colors of the sky.

"Guess I overslept."

"Well, if I want to get back before it gets too dark I have to start walking," Sakura said wryly, adjusting her grip on her textbook.

Tobi lifted his head out of the refrigerator, silently peering over at the departing pinkette.

"Do you want one of us to walk you?"

"Really Kisame, it's fine…"

"Deidara, get your pony-tailed ass up!"

The blonde twitched awake, immediately looking around the room at the small commotion. His azure eyes were slightly unfocused, and he rubbed them with a catlike yawn.

"You ruined my nap, un."

Sakura grinned sheepishly, feeling overly responsible. She hadn't expected for Kisame to go to the trouble of waking the blonde up- it was quite an unnecessary bother.

Deidara looked over at her, regaining his focus. He was momentarily confused until he looked outside at the newly fading daylight.

"Are you leaving already Sakura?"

She sighed lightly, nodding and turning to the door.

"Yes, Deidara. I really have to get going before it gets too dark to see," she explained once again, pushing the door open. "No ifs, ands, or buts about it, Kisame. I can walk myself. Thank you all for everything. I'll definitely pay you back one way or another."

Sakura smiled at the group and walked out the door, fully intent on leaving this time.

"Sakura."

Coming to a screeching halt, she turned back with a stiff nod.

"Yes Sasori?"

The redhead's amber eyes seemed fixedly solemn, and he let out a tired breath. Sakura wondered why he would stop her if he seemed almost reluctant to say what he was intending to, but Sasori was the type to only say what he thought was relevant. So she waited.

Deidara looked over at his friend as well, confusion marring his features. He wasn't as alert as he could be, but he had the feeling that even if he was, it still wouldn't add up. Sasori wouldn't normally involve himself in other people's business. It wasn't like him.

But if the blonde thought that Sasori was out of character at the moment, his next statement made him question his mindset.

"Would you consider staying here for the night?" he asked, face carefully impassive. "If such is acceptable with the others. The way I see it, some of us are not comfortable with you spending the night in your dorm alone."

Sakura's face exploded scarlet at the thought of staying in the Akatsuki dorm for the night, and the residents of the indicated dorm voiced their pleasantly surprised assent. They had obviously been unaware of the idea, but presently saw it as quite intriguing.

"That's smart, Sasori-dono."

"Nice idea."

"Tobi thinks that's a great plan!"

Intense and questioning verdant eyes pinned onto Itachi, torn between not wanting to be alone in her dorm and the rather inappropriate situation of spending the night with a group of all male acquaintances, though she _did _have an infallible trust in them.

Itachi merely cocked his head slightly to the side, seemingly oblivious to her conflict.

"I have no objection."

"Nor do I. Sakura, it is up to you. You're free to stay here if you wish."

Did she really have a choice? Why couldn't she just force herself away from the unrelenting warmth and safety that these guys subconsciously brought to her wellbeing?

Sakura expression struggled to stay even at the expectant air that was undoubtedly radiating through the main room. She had the nagging suspicion that something, she wasn't sure if it was good or bad yet, would come of this soon. Maybe she should think this through some more.

…crap. The sun was practically gone now.

Fine. She would just go with her gut and pray that she was making a good choice.

"Alright, I guess I can stay for the night."

Tobi grinned in excitement, proud of himself, and ducked back into the fridge to complete his job. He wanted to be quick but thorough so that he could spend some more time with Sakura-chan. Maybe they could all watch a movie together, he thought giddily.

Sasori, disbelieving but strangely relieved that Sakura wouldn't be by herself now, pulled a clearly pleased Deidara over to the pool table and forced a billiard stick into his palms before he could pester the pinkette. He didn't feel the need to bother Sakura by making her any more uncomfortable.

Kisame smiled toothily, glad that they had come up with a nice solution for their new friend, patting Sakura's head and winking. He walked up the stairs, nonchalantly declaring that he would be down for dinner later.

Once the majority of the group had cleared out, Sakura set down her textbook again and sighed fretfully.

What was she going to wear to bed? (she shuddered at thought of wearing her day clothes to _bed_)

Was she going to have to share a room with someone? (Sasori and Deidara were the top picks at the moment. The former was pleasant and wasn't pushy, and the latter was her comic relief of sorts, though the others weren't too bad.)

What was she going to do in the morning?

"You do not have to stay," Itachi told her quietly, replying to the distress showcased clearly on her face. "I will walk you back to your dorm if you wish. I am sure that Sasori and the others will understand."

Sakura looked over at Itachi's form, leaned casually against the counter, and the memory of their impromptu kisses flashed in her mind. She closed her eyes and sighed. As handsome as he was, he was really a perfect gentleman to boot. Mikoto had done a good job, despite the man's infuriating Uchiha male arrogance.

"It's fine really," Sakura nodded, sauntering to the other side of the counter. "But…"

She leaned across the tabletop.

"Next time you want to talk with me, just drag your ass over and ask."

Itachi, eyes half-hooded and smoldering, leaned closer.

"Is my ass really that fascinating?"

Boldly connecting her lips to his, she felt Itachi stiffen in surprise. She caught his bottom lip between her teeth and he, recovered and pleased by her actions, murmured his approval before kissing her again.

Taking their time because by then they didn't care if the others saw them, their lips sealed together repeatedly as each explored the taste and feel of the other. Out of their mutual respects, the duo kept their burning desire under control, but they took it upon themselves to keep things...enjoyable.

"Hmm," Sakura smiled, pulling back and away from the smirking Uchiha. "I actually find you quite interesting. I guess you can include your ass in that category."

Itachi raised a brow, not at all looking like he had just kissed her for a good three minutes.

"Tobi wants everything to be perfect since Sakura-chan is staying for the night," Tobi exclaimed, finished with the renovations to the fridge.

Unaware that his cousin and the pinkette had just been making out behind him moments before, Tobi turned away from the refrigerator and grabbed Sakura's hand. He began to pull her from the kitchen.

"Sakura-chan has to come and fix Sakura-chan's guest room with Tobi. Tobi has color-coded all of the bed sheets, so Sakura-chan can choose her favorite color and shade."

As she passed by Itachi, Sakura recalled her promise to Mikoto and smacked him in the back of the head with her palm.

His look in reaction to the unexpected strike was priceless.

"Mikoto-san said to come home once in awhile and to ignore all of Fugaku's qualms about the situation, especially on the holidays. You're not excluded from gift-bringing, either. She also said that even though you're working hard, you'd better be making time to rest. You can thank her partially for the hit."

Finally being tugged over to the stairway and up, Sakura laughed.

The disappearing ends of her pink hair flew upstairs, and Itachi found himself chuckling along with Deidara and Sasori from the pool room.

He would have to thank Tobi for reintroducing such an interesting young woman back into his life. All of them would, for he had the feeling that they wouldn't allow her meetings with them to become scarce, even when the break came to an end.

In the meantime, he would ask Sakura on a proper date; the woman at the store had made a fair point. Waiting too long was unwise. Perhaps then they could further discuss her involvement with his family and, more importantly, her odd drive concerning whipped cream.

* * *

**A/N: **Yes, it's a little odd that Itachi and Sakura hardly remember each other from their childhood, but I've used Itachi's stress and pressure from his family to cover for his lapse. Sakura, well, her memory isn't very bright, let's just say. ^-^

Kisame, Deidara, and Sasori are their little watchers, as they're concerned for their new, pink-haired friend. Tobi is, well, Tobi. Not Madara. That would just be creepy here.

I hope that their inviting Sakura into their dorm for the night isn't too outrageous, but I can definitely see the overprotective Akatski guys bringing her in to protect her from who knows what roaming around the Toudai campus at night. (;

Mistress Krane


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